Fugitive nabbed after 37 years when mom’s obituary lists his alias

An Oklahoma fugitive was caught in Texas Thursday morning after 37 years on the run, and law enforcement officials are crediting an obituary with leading them to him.

Stephen Michael Paris was 22 years old in 1981 -- and 19 months into a nine-year sentence on a drug conviction -- when he escaped from the Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Muskogee. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the case was adopted by agents there about six weeks ago.

Agents discovered an obituary for Paris’ mother, Joann Rahimi, who lived in Houston before her death on Easter Sunday. The obituary lists Rahimi’s family, including a son, Steve Chavez.

They tracked down the name and found that Paris, now 58, was living and working under that alias in Houston, the Marshals Service reported. He was taken into custody without incident Thursday at his office.

A fingerprint match confirmed his identity.

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